Nutritional deficiency induces nucleus pulposus cell apoptosis via the ATF4-PKM2-AKT signal axis.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The intervertebral disc is the largest avascular tissue in the human body. The nucleus pulposus (NP) consumes glucose and oxygen to generate energy to maintain cellular metabolism via nutrients that diffuse from the cartilage endplate. The microenvironment in the intervertebral disc becomes nutritionally deficient during degeneration, and nutritional deficiency has been shown to inhibit the viability and proliferation of NP cells.

Methods

To investigate the molecular mechanism by which nutritional deficiency reduces viability and decreases proliferation, we created an in vitro model by using decreasing serum concentration percentages.

Results

In this study, we found that nutritional deficiency reduced NP cell viability and increased cell apoptosis and that

SUBMITTER: Zhou N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9628105 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature